Cinderarry
by Kallanit
Summary: AU. I started this story last year during panto season but didn't finish it. I've come back to it but abandoned the Cinderella theme. In this AU, Voldemort's soul became a disembodied spirit on Halloween 1981 but he had no Horcruxes, so when the spirit is disposed of he can't be resurrected. James & Lily are totally OTT in true panto-villain style. Snape wasn't a Death Eater.


**Disclaimer:** Not mine, don't own them—I wish! Unfortunately, Harry Potter belongs to JKR; I'm just playing in her sandbox.

 **A/N** : I'm sorry this is such a long one-shot, but it didn't really work as a multi-chapter story.

.o.O.o.

 **CINDERARRY**

"Boy! Get in here!"

Ten year-old Harry Potter paused in his work and wiped his sweaty forehead with his arm. Harry was busy washing the family laundry by hand, since a washing machine would not work in a magical environment. He knew that he would be able to do it all easily by magic but his family would not allow him a wand.

Harry had grown up in a loving home until he was fifteen months old. His family had been targeted by the evil Dark Lord Voldemort, who had broken into their home with the express intention of killing the Potters. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, his curse had bounced back against Voldemort and had destroyed the Dark Lord instead. Unfortunately, however, this miraculous feat had been attributed to Harry's twin brother. Evan Potter had become fêted as the Boy-Who-Lived, the boy who did the impossible and stopped a killing curse while, at the same time, defeating Voldemort. Harry, on the other hand, was nothing.

At first, James and Lily Potter had been so busy taking care of their precious Boy-Who-Lived that they had fobbed Harry's care off to their aging house elf. As time went on, Harry, who was constantly being told by his family—on those occasions when they actually deigned to notice his presence—that he was worthless, a burden and less than the dirt beneath Evan's feet, began to avoid his family, preferring the company of Ditsy, the house elf. As Ditsy grew older, the senior Potters began considering purchasing a new house elf to help her.

"No," said Lily, who was a Muggleborn witch. "I don't like owning house elves. It's like slavery. The boy can do the work instead. It's about all he's good for."

With that, the then four year old Harry's life became even harder. Ditsy had been teaching Harry to read and write but now had to stop doing that and teach him how to take care of the family instead. "And you're not to help him, Ditsy. He has to learn to do it by himself," instructed James imperiously.

Ditsy managed to teach Harry a little bit of elf magic to help in his tasks, since this was the only way Ditsy knew how to do them. Unfortunately, elf magic and wizarding magic were two very different things. It was not merely a matter of different methods of performing magic, rather it was the very magic within their bodies that was different. This meant that there was little Harry could learn from Ditsy and so the little boy spent long days doing all the work the Muggle way. The cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the gardening—Harry had to do all the household tasks. The only thing that Ditsy was allowed to do was interact with visitors, as Harry was forbidden from being seen by anyone except the family.

Sighing, Harry left the laundry and went to see what was wanted of him. "How can I help, Master?" Harry asked. He did not know that these people were his family. Instead, he addressed them as Ditsy did: Master for James, who was the Head, and therefore the Master, of the family; Mistress for Lily, and Master Evan for his twin. Not that Harry remembered that Evan was his twin.

James sneered at Harry. "It's Evan's eleventh birthday tomorrow. I want you to make a birthday cake for him. It must be a special cake, as it's a special day—he'll be getting his Hogwarts letter tomorrow," he instructed.

"Yes, Master," said Harry and went back to the kitchen. After he had finished all his other chores for the day, Harry then had to finish the birthday cake. He had baked it earlier in the day but he still had to decorate it to look stupendous and had elected to wait until all his other chores were complete to do that, so he could give it his full attention. After some thought, Harry had decided that since Evan was due to get his Hogwarts letter and expected to be in Gryffindor House, that would be the theme for the cake. The young boy spent several hours decorating the cake and when it was done and he could finally trudge off to bed, it was after midnight.

Harry made his way to his room in the attic and checked on his stew kettle. Harry was not allowed to eat until he had finished all his chores, nor was he allowed to eat the food that the family ate. Instead, he had rescued an old cauldron that was about to be thrown out. Harry had cleaned the cauldron out thoroughly and kept it on a low light at all times. The kettle was kept permanently simmering away in the elves' quarters and Harry would throw in the leftovers and the vegetables or other ingredients that were too old to be served to the family. Sometimes, he wondered what it would be like to eat the food that he cooked for the family but, as he had learned by watching Ditsy, whenever that thought crossed his mind, he always punished himself for being so presumptuous. Of course, he did manage little tastes while he was cooking, to be sure that the food was suitable to be served, but Harry could not imagine actually sitting down and eating the food he made.

The following day, Harry was up early as usual. Like any good servant, he knew without being told that today he should make Master Evan's favourite banana chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, which the little Master was not allowed on normal days, as Mistress always insisted that Master Evan eat healthy food. Harry was busy preparing the meal when he heard an owl tapping at the window. Letting it in, Harry fed it some owl treats while he removed the two letters tied to the owl's leg. Looking at the names on the envelopes, he put one aside for Master Evan, but stared at the second one in surprise. _'Who is Harry Potter?'_ he wondered. By now, even Ditsy called Harry, 'Boy,' in imitation of the Masters and Harry did not know that he had any other name. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry laid Master Evan's letter at his place on the breakfast table and put the other letter aside to ask Ditsy about later.

It was another very long day for Harry, as he had to prepare for Master Evan's birthday celebrations and clear up afterwards. It was not until the tired and hungry young boy had finally finished his work for the day that Harry remembered the mysterious letter and asked Ditsy about it. "Why, Harry Potter is you, Boy," replied Ditsy, before turning and going to bed.

In blank incomprehension, Harry took the letter up to the attic with him, staring at it bemusedly while he ate his stew. Finally, he shrugged and opened the letter. Harry had been taught reading, writing and basic arithmetic by Ditsy because house elves needed these skills to serve their Masters to the best of their ability, and so Harry was able to read the letter. He read it a first time, then a second. Again and again. _'But servants don't go to Hogwarts, do they?'_ he thought, shaking his head in incomprehension. _'Unless they need more servants there? Yes, that must be it. They want me as a servant and the list of school supplies must have been included with the letter by mistake.'_

Harry wondered what he should do. Sighing, he walked to Ditsy's room and knocked on the door. Ditsy answered and her eyes widened when she saw Harry standing there with the open letter in his hand.

"Are you sure this is for me, Ditsy? That I'm this Harry Potter?"

"Yes. You is Harry Potter," answered Ditsy, with a decisive nod of her head.

"So why does everyone call me 'Boy?'" he asked. "I thought that was my name."

"Masters call Master Harry 'Boy,' so Ditsy does as Masters want."

"Master Harry? But I'm nobody's Master! I'm a servant, just like you!" the green-eyed boy exclaimed.

"You is Master and Mistress' son. Master and Mistress love Master Evan very much. Master told Ditsy to teach Master Harry how to become a good servant. Master forbade Ditsy to treat Master Harry like Potter family." Ditsy hung her head in shame, not only because of the way she had treated Harry for so long but also because she had come close to speaking badly about her Masters. Fortunately, she had found a way around it, and so would not need to punish herself. Ditsy had not said that they did not care for Harry, only that they cared for Evan.

"So… so this isn't a mistake? I'm not being asked to become a servant at Hogwarts? I'm being asked to go to school, like other boys?" Harry stammered in awe. He had often watched Evan play with his best friends, Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom, and had wished he could have time to play, but servants did not get play-time. The best Harry could do was sneak books out of the Potter library when he went in to clean and read them in his bed at night. This was the only time he had free and he treasured it greatly. Indeed, Harry was a clever little boy and he read extensively, building upon the basic education Ditsy had given him.

"But how can I go to Hogwarts? I don't have any gold to buy the things I need," said Harry sadly.

"Leave it to Ditsy, young Master," said the little elf. James and Lily had been very specific in the things Ditsy was forbidden to do for or say to Harry. Helping the boy to go to Hogwarts was not one of those forbidden things—namely because it had been so long since they had recognised him as Evan's twin, that it had not occurred to them that Harry would be getting a Hogwarts letter when Evan did. Ditsy was not happy about the way Harry was treated by his family and she was determined to help the boy. Ditsy had to be the unlikeliest fairy godmother ever seen.

Smiling slyly, Ditsy said, "Master Harry is a Potter. If Master Harry were to give Ditsy clothes, Ditsy would no longer be a Potter family elf. Master Harry could then bind Ditsy to him personally. Ditsy would be Master Harry's personal elf instead of a Potter family elf."

Harry considered the idea. Realising that if Ditsy continued to be bound to the Potter family, then James and Lily could order Ditsy to imprison Harry in the house so he could not go to school, the young boy agreed. "Wait here," he said, and returned to his room for a moment. The contents of Harry's room consisted of an old mattress, some threadbare sheets and blankets, which Harry had mended to the best of his ability, and some old boxes where he stored Evan's outgrown clothes, which is what he wore. Due to years of hard, physical labour and little nutrition, Harry was a small child and easily fit Evan's cast-off clothes. Of course, when extracting clothing from Evan's discards for his own use, Harry had to be careful to take only the clothes in bad condition—Evan played hard and was tough on most of his clothes—as anything in decent condition was passed on to a used clothing shop in Diagon Alley. Harry extracted an old scarf from a box. Returning to Ditsy, he gave the elf the scarf.

"Ditsy is a free-elf now," said the elderly elf in a sad voice.

"How do I bind you to me, Ditsy?" asked Harry quietly.

"You says, 'I takes Ditsy as my personal elf,' and gives me your hands. Elf magic does the rest," Ditsy assured him, knowing that Harry did not yet have a wand.

"I take Ditsy as my personal elf," Harry repeated and held out his hands, palm up. Ditsy laid her hands on Harry's outstretched ones and, with a flash of light, the bond was complete.

Ditsy smiled happily. She had not enjoyed watching Harry struggling to do all the household chores—these were Ditsy's job—but she had to do as ordered. She may not be as young as she once was but she was not frail. With very little work to do, Ditsy had been very bored and unhappy. Now she had a new Master to serve, one who would listen to her advice and who would let her serve, as house elves were bound to do. _'Master_ will _goes to school,'_ Ditsy thought with determination.

With that in mind, Ditsy quietly visited Gringotts the following day. As a Potter family elf, she had had full access to all the vaults. When the twins had been born, James had set up substantial trust vaults for each child. After the destruction of Voldemort, when James and Lily had lost sight of the fact that they were parents to two children and not just their precious Boy-Who-Lived, James had not remembered to close Harry's vault and return the funds to the main family vault, nor had he remembered to ask for statements for this vault, and so it lay forgotten and untouched. Even as Harry's personal elf, Ditsy could still access the main family vault upon Harry's command and the following day, she did just that, withdrawing just enough for Harry's school supplies; the amount was so minimal compared to the amounts the family spent daily that James would not even notice the withdrawal.

Ditsy purchased all Harry's school supplies, minus his clothes and wand, as Harry would have to buy these in person. Apparating home with the supplies, Ditsy carefully placed everything in Harry's new trunk and used elf magic to disguise it as a crude three-legged stool, which she placed in a corner of her attic garret. The family never entered Ditsy's room and, even if for some strange reason they chose to do so now, they would certainly show no interest in the little stool. Ditsy then went to check on Harry in her role as his supervisor, grateful that she had not been called by the Potters while she had been busy doing errands. House elves could always tell when they were being called, regardless of who called them, but they could choose whether or not to answer a summons from one other than those to whom they were bound. Ditsy planned to keep answering any and all summons from the Potters until it was time to cut all ties with them, so that they would not become suspicious.

"You must not worry, Master Harry," Ditsy reassured the young wizard that evening when they were safely in their garrets. "Ditsy is taking care of everything. You just carry on as normal until it's time to leave. Now, you must write your acceptance letter and Ditsy will send it out for you."

"Thank you, Ditsy," said Harry gratefully. He had had time to think while doing his chores that day and he was beginning to be very resentful over the way his family had treated him. He had not been before as he had known no better, but now that he knew he was Evan's twin, Harry was getting angry; the only bright spot was the thought that he would soon be able to escape.

Early the next morning, Ditsy apparated with the letter to Hogwarts. Sneaking up to the owlery, she gave the letter to one of the school owls. "You will deliver this at breakfast with the rest of the mail, please," she instructed the owl, who hooted in agreement. Ditsy fed the owl an owl treat in thanks and then apparated home again.

Over the next month until school started, the little elf made plans. She needed somewhere for herself and Harry to live, plus she needed to ensure that they had a source of income. Ditsy fully planned on emptying Harry's trust vault, but was waiting until the last possible minute to do that in order not to send up any warning flags to James. Fortunately, the vault was very generous and, with care, it would be enough to see them through Harry's schooling, especially as they would not need a home until the summer since Ditsy could stay in Hogwarts with Harry. Even more fortunately, Hogwarts was a non-fee paying school, and so James would not be able to prevent Harry from attending school by refusing to pay the fees.

Luckily for Ditsy's planning, the Potters would be going on holiday for two weeks in August, once they had completed Evan's school shopping. This was expected to be a major event, and was planned with the detail and precision of a royal wedding. Evan revelled in all the attention he received during his school shopping trip and came home raving about it; the fact that he had finally received his much longed-for wand barely even seemed to register with the red-headed Potter boy in comparison to the adulation he had experienced while in Diagon Alley.

Since it was very hard for Harry to treat his erstwhile family with the deference he had previously shown now that he knew the truth, it was fortunate that it was only a couple of days later that the Potters went on holiday. They were staying in a top hotel in an exclusive wizarding resort.

"Should we take Ditsy with us?" James had asked Lily.

"No," she had replied. "It's the boy who does the work, not Ditsy, but I don't want my holiday spoiled by him. We'll use the hotel elves. They assign one to any guests who wish."

With that, both Ditsy and Harry remained home, which was perfect for them to proceed with their plans. Knowing how much Harry looked like James Potter, Ditsy did not want to take him to Diagon Alley; neither Ditsy nor Harry wanted him to be seen or recognised. Instead, she apparated Harry to the magical district in Paris. Ditsy knew this area well, as James Potter's parents had often visited there and had taken her with them. Upon their arrival in Paris, Ditsy first escorted Harry to the robe shop, where Harry was measured for everyday clothes and robes.

"Please could you send my measurements to Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley, for my school robes?" Harry asked as Ditsy had coached him to do. "I won't be back in London in time to visit her in person, so my elf will have to collect them for me."

"Of course. That will be no problem," replied the shop assistant. "What name shall I give?"

"Harry Naught," replied Harry, not wanting to give his real name and saying the first thing that came into his mind. Not exactly a brilliant alias but better than Harry Nothing, which had been his first instinct. This should be sufficient to pass in continental Europe, Harry considered, especially as he would not be using it for long. He did not care if Madam Malkin questioned the unlikelihood of being called a variation of nothing, since he would not be seeing her in person.

Clothes shopping finished, it was time to buy the one other item that Harry needed to buy in person. All his books and other school equipment had already been picked up by Ditsy in Diagon Alley. As the family elf, Ditsy was permitted to take small amounts out the main Potter vault for family needs and, with Harry giving her permission to keep doing so until they left the Potters altogether, she had used this access for the funds needed to purchase Harry's school supplies, wanting to save his trust vault for when they would really need those monies.

As Harry walked into the wand shop, he felt a frisson of excitement. This was his final proof that he truly was a wizard and not the second-class being his family made him out to be.

"Bonjour, jeune sorcier. Comment puis-je vous aider aujourd'hui?" the wandmaker asked.

"Err," said Harry hesitantly. "I'm very sorry, sir, but I don't speak French. Do you speak English, please?"

"Of course, young wizard. I asked how I may be of assistance today," the wandmaker explained.

"Well, I'd like a wand please," replied Harry.

"I have plenty of ready-made wands for you to choose from, or you could have a custom wand made, if you prefer? The custom wand will be more expensive."

Harry looked helpless, not knowing what to say having never handled money before.

"Master will have a custom wand," said Ditsy firmly. She was determined that her master was going to be the best wizard he could possibly be, and that meant having the wand best suited to him. It did not take long for Harry to select the materials¹ for his wand. Unusually, he selected two cores.

"Hmm," said the wandmaker. "Apple wood wands are powerful and best suited to an owner of high aims and ideals, as this wood mixes poorly with Dark Arts. It is said that the possessor of an apple wand will be well-loved and long-lived. An unusual ability to converse with other magical beings in their native tongues is often found among apple wand owners. I don't suppose you've noticed within yourself any ability to speak to animals, have you, Mr Naught?"

"No, sir," Harry replied, not actually having ever seen any animals other than post owls, none of which paid any attention to him.

"Now your cores are a phoenix feather and a Kitsune whisker," continued the wandmaker. "Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn hair or dragon heartstring cores to reveal this. Kitsune foxes are intelligent beings and possess magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom, something that is passed onto wands with Kitsune cores. I believe that your wand indicates that with time you will mature into a remarkable wizard, of great power and ability. I will be watching your career with interest, Mr Naught."

Harry found the wandlore deeply interesting. He knew that Evan's wand was holly and phoenix feather, apparently an unusual combination. According to Mr Ollivander, the wandmaker in Diagon Alley, holly wands often choose owners who are engaged in some dangerous and spiritual quest, and the phoenix feather ìn its core came from the phoenix of Albus Dumbledore himself.

"I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. Of course that wand was perfect for me," Evan had crowed, puffing out his chest.

Harry, however, preferred his own wand, although when he had sneakily touched Evan's wand, it had responded to him too. But Harry did not want to be flashy or flamboyant, like Evan undoubtedly was; he preferred the idea of allowing his magic to mature as he matured, as a person and as a wizard. He was still reeling from the recent revelations regarding his life, and wisely wanted to take his time to adjust to this new reality and to learn who Harry Potter really was. Simply leaving Potter Manor to go shopping today had been an overwhelming experience for the young boy, who had never before left the manor grounds, nor had he ever seen so many people.

The one thing on the equipment list that Harry did not buy was a pet. "Where would I keep it between now and starting school?" he asked practically. "Perhaps next year instead." While Harry regretted not having a pet to bond with, he had never known love, other than the affection he received from Ditsy, or even normal human interaction. Although he would not admit this fear aloud, he was afraid he did not have it in him to care for another being, and so used this excuse instead. After all, if he had really wanted a pet, Ditsy could easily have arranged with the pet shop owner to keep the pet until Harry left for school.

Ditsy made arrangements to collect the wand from the wandmaker the following day and apparated Harry home. While the family was away, she proceeded to do all she could to prepare Harry for starting school and mixing with large numbers of other children, apparating him back to Paris a few times, where he explored the magical district more thoroughly, and introducing him to children's play parks around Britain. Although the play parks were perhaps aimed at younger children than Harry, his innocence and lack of experience in such things allowed him to enjoy himself immensely.

Harry was surprised one day in the park to find that he could converse with snakes. Ditsy had been worried because, "The ability to speak to snakes is not liked, Master Harry. Wizards fear those who can speak with snakes. You should be careful not to tell people." Harry took Ditsy's advice on board, but was reassured when he remembered the wandlore concerning apple wood wands.

All too soon, the Potters had returned home from their holiday and Harry was once again forced back into his role as their servant. Harry found it much harder now to show his so-called family the deference that they expected but gritted his teeth and kept up the pretence. _'It's only until September,'_ he kept telling himself as he counted down the days.

Finally, it was the first of September. The Potters left early for Kings Cross, wanting to have plenty of time to greet the admirers of the Boy-Who-Lived. As soon as James, Lily and Evan had left, Harry rushed to get changed into his school robes. Ditsy removed the elf glamour from his trunk and then apparated herself and Harry to the station. Seeing that the Potters were already surrounded by crowds of well-wishers, Ditsy helped Harry get onto the train, in a compartment at far end of the station from where Evan was holding court.

"Ditsy will see you in school, Master," the little elf reassured Harry and popped away. Heading straight for Gringotts, Ditsy emptied Harry's trust vault into an expanded trunk, and then left for Hogwarts after she had shrunk the trunk and secreted it on her person. It was unusual for students to own personal elves, but it was not uncommon for those who did have one to take their elf with them to school, and those elves happily helped the castle elves during term time. James and Lily were in for a shock when they returned home and discovered that they no longer had any servants.

Harry sat and watched out the window as more students arrived. He saw the way Evan and his entourage spread out, taking up all the space and forcing everyone else back to the edges of the platform, and the consequent disdain the Potters received from those in the green robes of Slytherin. As Harry watched, he saw how a little first year, who was clearly Muggleborn since her parents were not on the platform with her, was sent flying into her trolley before crashing down hard onto the concrete platform when the crowd of admirers surrounding the Potters, spread out further, pushing her forcefully out the way. Blinking back tears, the bushy-haired girl clambered painfully back to her feet and limped away, head hunched down over her cart as no one even bothered to check she was all right.

Harry rushed out his compartment to the door of the carriage. "Here, let me help you," he said kindly.

"Tha… thank you," gasped the girl.

Together, the two children wrestled her trunk onto the train and into the compartment where Harry had been sitting.

"Are you hurt?" asked Harry softly.

"I'm not sure," the girl answered, her large brown eyes brimming with tears.

"I don't think it was deliberate," said Harry slowly. "I think people were so busy going crazy over the Potters that they simply didn't pay attention to anything else that was going on around them. I'm Harry, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Harry. I'm Hermione," the girl replied. "The Potters? Do you mean Evan Potter?"

Harry groaned inwardly. _'Of course, everyone's going to go crazy about him no matter what he does,'_ he thought. Out loud, he said, "Yes, that's Evan Potter and his family." It was still strange for Harry to say _Evan_ and not _Master Evan_ but he was getting used to it, through sheer force of will.

"Oh," said Hermione. "I read about Evan Potter. My birthday is in September, you see. I was too young to go to Hogwarts last year, but I bought lots of books to try and learn about the Wizarding World. If it's always going to be that crazy around Evan, then I hope I'm in a different House to him. It would be too distracting."

Harry cheered up at that. "I imagine Evan will probably be sorted into Gryffindor. Both his parents were. His grandparents too, I believe."

"You must be from a wizarding family if you know that?" Hermione brightened at the prospect of being able to pump Harry for information about the wizarding world.

Harry grimaced. "Technically, I'm from a wizarding family," he agreed. "But I don't really have proper family. I was brought up by my family's house elf."

"What's a house elf?" Hermione asked with interest.

Harry thought for a moment. "They're magical beings who act as servants to wizarding families," he explained briefly.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Do they get fair pay? Are they treated well?" she asked anxiously, thinking of poor servants in Victorian and earlier times.

"No, they don't get paid. They don't want it," Harry laughed. Seeing his companion becoming indignant, he tried to explain further. "House elves may not receive gold for their services but they have a home instead. They don't want to be paid like a servant, they want to be part of the family."

Seeing Hermione chewing her lip anxiously, Harry thought about Lily Potter's attitude towards Ditsy and realised this must be a Muggle attitude. "Hermione, a lot of things are going to be very different to what you're used to. Instead of rushing in to change everything to how it is in the Muggle world, take your time to learn properly about things in the wizarding world before you comment on them— _why_ they are the way they are, for example. Talk to the house elves at Hogwarts. If you explain you're Muggleborn and you just want to learn about them, I'm sure the house elves will be pleased to talk to you." Harry knew that Lily had never bothered doing that and her attitude had caused Ditsy a lot of distress over the years. Ditsy had done her best to teach Harry as much as she could before school started, but they had not had very much time and the little house elf had advised him to learn before making judgments when faced with things he did not know about.

"Master might not always want to ask questions, so Master should be like an elf: watch and listen," Ditsy said.

Harry had agreed with Ditsy. He did not want to look stupid or ignorant. He also knew that there was a large library in Hogwarts and resolved to make use of that until he learned who would be safe to approach with his questions.

Hermione considered what Harry had said. She knew that things would be very different in the Wizarding World and realised it was very sensible advice. Her parents, knowing her tendency to rush in, had advised her similarly. She nodded. "All right," she said decisively. "I'll do that."

At that point, the whistle went and a minute later, the train started. Hermione looked both elated and terrified at the same time, and Harry sympathised. He was feeling much the same himself.

"Could I ask a question?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Of course. I don't promise to know the answer, though," replied Harry with a laugh.

Hermione giggled too. "You said that Evan Potter would probably be sorted into Gryffindor because his parents were there. Are people always sorted into the same house as their parents? I couldn't find any information about the sorting, though I did try."

Harry screwed up his face in thought, as he remembered hearing Sirius Black, who was James' best friend and Evan's godfather, crowing about being the only Black not to have been sorted into Slytherin. Harry had never met Sirius in person, of course, but the exuberant man had been easy to hear through the kitchen windows when he and James Potter had been out in the garden teaching Evan to fly. "I don't think so," he replied uncertainly. "Usually but not always, I think. I'm not sure, though."

Hermione nodded and asked another question. "Do you know what house you want to be in? I had thought Gryffindor sounded the best but not if Evan Potter will be there. I'd rather not have to put up with so much chaos."

Harry was thrilled. Here was someone who was willing to look beyond Evan's Boy-Who-Lived status. Harry had no doubt that there would be many other first years wanting to be sorted into the same house as Evan Potter, neither caring if that house might suit them nor about any ruckus that might follow in his wake, and was pleased to know he might be able to make friends who would not fawn all over his twin.

The two new friends spent a pleasant journey together. No one came to disturb them, but neither noticed. They were far too engrossed in each other.

When the Hogwarts Express finally arrived at Hogsmeade station much later that day, two nervous children disembarked from the train. Harry was especially nervous as he did not know what would happen when the wizarding world would be confronted with the existence of a second Potter child. The one thing he did know was that reactions were likely to be explosive, and he trembled with both fear and determination at the thought. Hermione thinking that Harry was simply nervous, just like every other first year, smiled at her new-found friend and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Harry gratefully gave her a tremulous smile in response and, hand-in-hand with the bushy-haired young witch, followed the rest of the first years over to Hagrid, who was leading the youngest pupils down to the boats that would take them across the lake to the school.

Despite his nervousness, Harry noticed that Hermione was still limping after the incident on Platform 9¾. "Are you still in pain? You should go and see the Mediwitch when we arrive at the school," the boy with the mesmerising green eyes whispered.

"I'm all right," said Hermione resolutely.

Harry shook his head, privately resolving to make sure his new friend received the medical attention she needed—always assuming he was not expelled by the end of the sorting ceremony!

"No more than four to a boat," cried the large man who had escorted the first years down to the boats. Of course, Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom clambered into a boat with Evan and Harry snorted with amused disgust as he watched a large number of the remaining first years rush to take the fourth place in the boat. Ignoring the crowd, he guided Hermione to an empty boat and climbed in with her, being joined minutes later by two Indian girls, who appeared to be twins. Unlike Harry and his own twin, however, these two girls seemed to get on well, as they were holding hands tightly.

The nervous first years arrived at the castle, everyone oohing at the sight of Hogwarts across the lake, and were ushered into a small room, there to wait for their sorting ceremony. Harry was worried that Evan would see him and make a fuss about his presence at Hogwarts but, fortunately for Harry, Evan was too busy lapping up all the adulation he was receiving to pay any attention to the black-haired boy who was standing quietly at the back of the room. Besides, for the past few years, Harry had been wearing a pair of James Potter's old, discarded glasses, but while the Potters had been on holiday, Ditsy had taken Harry to have his eyes tested and to get a pair of wizarding contact lenses. The elf had also taken him to get a proper haircut, instead of chopping at it herself. Harry now looked very smart and quite different to grubby boy dressed in rags that Evan was used to seeing.

When the first years were led into the Great Hall for the sorting, they were very relieved to find out that all they had to do was put on a hat to be sorted, but Harry's anxiety mounted as he worried about what would happen when his name would be called out.

When Hermione was called, she limped excitedly to the sorting stool, picked up the Sorting Hat and rammed it on her head. Harry frowned at the sight of the limp, but smiled fondly at the petite witch's enthusiasm and waited to see into which House she would be sorted. After what looked like a long discussion between Hermione and the hat, she was finally sorted into Ravenclaw, and went to sit at the Ravenclaw table with a big smile on her face.

The sorting proceeded in an orderly manner until Evan's turn. An expectant hush spread around the Great Hall as everyone waited with baited breath to see where the Boy-Who-Lived would be sorted. As Harry had predicted, Evan was speedily sorted into Gryffindor and his fellow Gryffindors exploded into deafening cheers. Harry sneered as his twin swaggered to his House table and sat down, his jubilant housemates nearest to him all reaching out to shake his hand or pat him on the back. As the noise died down, Harry heard his own name called out and smirked to himself when he heard the whispers spread around the Great Hall.

"Did McGonagall say Potter?"

" _Harry_ Potter?"

"Is he related to Evan Potter?"

Harry did his best to ignore the whispers and the intense scrutiny he was receiving, some of the students even going so far as to stand up to look at him better, without their housemates getting in the way. The last thing he saw before the hat descended over his eyes was Hermione, her chocolate brown eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in shock.

 _"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes—and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?"_ ²

 _'I'd like to be with Hermione, please,'_ Harry thought desperately.

 _"Are you sure? You have ambition and could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin would help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that—no? Well, if you're sure – better be_ RAVENCLAW!" ²

Harry walked gratefully over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to his new friend. He grinned at Hermione, bumping her shoulder in a friendly manner with his own, and then turned pointedly back to watch the rest of the sorting.

"Is your name really Potter?"

"Are you related to Evan?"

"Do you know the Boy-Who-Lived?"

The questions came fast and furious and Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation, causing Hermione to giggle beside him. "My name is Harry. Just Harry," he said with exaggerated patience. "And I think the Professor is waiting to continue with the sorting." He pointed at Professor McGonagall, and the older students, who were already familiar with the Deputy Head's strict discipline, blanched at the sight of her frown and fell silent.

"I'll tell you later," Harry whispered in Hermione's ear as his fellow Ravenclaws' attention turned back to the sorting ceremony.

Eventually the sorting was over, with Ronald Weasley joining his brothers and friends in Gryffindor. As the food appeared and everyone began to eat, conversation at the staff table turned to the surprise student, Harry Potter.

"But James and Lily only have _one_ child!"

"Perhaps the boy isn't James' son?"

"Have you looked at the child? He's the spitting image of James Potter. He looks far more like James than Evan does—Evan looks much more like Lily."

"Are you saying James had an affair?"

"Surely not. Besides, the boy has Lily's eyes."

"But why did no one know the Potters had another son?"

Listening to the speculation of his peers, one teacher, with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin snorted incredulously. "I thought it was only the students who were dunderheads," he snarked.

Professor McGonagall bristled in indignation, as did many others at the table. "What are you talking about, Snape?" the Head of Gryffindor demanded.

Severus Snape looked round the table in genuine astonishment. "Do none of you remember the birth announcement made by the Potters? _To James and Lily Potter, two sons, Evan Fleamont and Henry James, born on the thirty-first of July, nineteen eighty,_ " he cited from memory, sneering at the dumbfounded expressions on the faces of his colleagues.

"Are you telling us that this boy is James and Lily Potter's child? _Evan Potter's twin?_ " asked Minerva McGonagall in astonishment.

"If he's the Potters' son, where has he been all these years?" asked their colleague, Filius Flitwick, skeptically.

"How should I know? It's not like I'm friendly with the Potters or have ever been in their home before," replied the dark man.

"Well, I have. Many times. And I've never seen this boy there," retorted Professor McGonagall. "So why have I never seen him before, if he's James and Lily's son like you claim?"

"For all I know, they kept him out the way in a cupboard somewhere so they could focus on their precious Boy-Who-Lived," replied Snape with a shrug, not knowing how close to the truth he had come. "Why don't you ask James and Lily if you're that interested?"

With that, the Potions Master turned his attention back to his plate and continued eating, ignoring the rest of the colleagues, who alternated between glaring at him and looking astoundedly at the Ravenclaw first year boy. Harry, for his part, tried to ignore the strange looks he was getting and continued deflecting the questions of his fellow Ravenclaws.

The meal seemed interminable to the boy who was not used to so much attention and he was grateful when it was finally over and the first years were being led to their common room by two of the Ravenclaw prefects, Robert Hilliard and Penelope Clearwater.

As the students clambered off the benches, Harry noticed that Hermione's limp was even worse.

"You need to see a Healer," he muttered to the bushy-haired girl.

"It's fine. I'm just a bit stiff."

"No," he replied resolutely. Harry may have spent most of his life being meek and servile but he was no longer willing to be like that. It was time to become more assertive. Hermione needed help and he would make sure she received it.

"Excuse me, Penelope?" Harry called. "Hermione was knocked over on Platform 9¾. She needs to see a Healer."

Penelope looked at the petite first year and saw that she was indeed limping badly and leaning heavily on Harry for support. "Wait here," she said to the girl, and handing her duty of escorting the first years up to the common room over to one of the other prefects, she crossed over to the staff table, where Pomona Sprout, Poppy Pomfrey and Minerva McGonagall continued to speculate about the mystery of Harry Potter.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Penelope said. "One of the Ravenclaw first years had an accident on the journey. She seems to be injured."

The school Mediwitch immediately bustled over to the bushy-haired witch and began casting diagnostic spells. "Hmm, a lot of bruising, including a very large deep bone bruise on your thigh. What happened?"

"I was knocked over on Platform 9¾."

"She was shoved into her trolley and then fell down. She was hurt pretty badly," said Harry.

"Are you a Muggleborn, dear?" asked the Mediwitch. "Those Slytherins…"

"Excuse me, Ma'am. It wasn't the Slytherins," said Hermione adamantly. "It was the crowd around Evan Potter. They pushed me out the way. No one in Slytherin robes was anywhere near me." Hermione had been trying to downplay what had happened, not wanting to make a fuss, but she was unwilling to allow the wrong people to be blamed for her predicament. The few remaining Slytherins took note of the fact that she had exonerated them from any wrongdoing, despite the reputation of their House—something not many other non-Slytherins would have been willing to do—and vowed to repay this witch for her support, Muggleborn or not.

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow in surprise but said nothing.

"The crowd around the Potters was pretty out of control, Madam Pomfrey," admitted Penelope.

"Caddy!" the Mediwitch called with a sigh and, with an almost silent pop, an elf wearing a pillowcase with the Hogwarts crest appeared.

"How can Caddy help Madam Pomfrey?" the elf asked.

"Please bring me a general healing potion from the infirmary stores," Madam Pomfrey instructed.

"Here," said a deep, silky voice.

Harry and Hermione looked up to see the dark-haired Professor holding out a vial.

"Thank you, Severus," said Poppy. "I don't need the potion from the hospital wing after all, Caddy. You may go."

"Drink it," instructed Professor Snape firmly but quite kindly, surprising the Ravenclaw prefect who was waiting with the two first years. "Miss…?"

"Granger," Hermione whispered, taking the vial from the Potions Master. She glanced at the Mediwitch, eyeing the vial dubiously.

"This is how medication appears in the wizarding world," Madam Pomfrey explained with a smile. "We don't use pills, like the Muggle world. It won't taste very good but you'll be surprised how effective it is."

Professor Snape smirked as Hermione grimaced at the taste. "Madam Pomfrey is correct, Miss Granger. Despite the taste, this potion will cure most of your bruises within half an hour. The deep bone bruise might need a second dose in the morning."

"Really?" Hermione looked up eagerly. "That's marvellous! How does it work? What are the components in the potion? My parents are dentists—Muggle Healers for teeth—and nothing they can prescribe would work that quickly."

"I see we have a budding Potions Mistress here," smiled Professor Flitwick, who had come over to see why three of his Ravenclaws had remained in the Great Hall with Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment. "Thank you, Professor," she said softly to the tall, dark man. "And you, Madam Pomfrey."

"That's quite all right, Miss Granger," replied the Mediwitch. "Now, I won't insist you spend your very first night at Hogwarts in the infirmary, but I want to see you in the morning before breakfast."

"I'll show her the way, Madam Pomfrey," Penelope promised, with a friendly smile at the blushing first year. "Come along, you two."

Penelope escorted the two first years out the Great Hall and up to the Ravenclaw common room, Hermione still leaning on Harry for support but beginning to move more easily as the potion began to take effect. Once they had guessed the riddle and gained entry, Penelope pointed them in the direction of their dorm rooms. "Meet me in the common room at half past seven tomorrow, so I can take you to the Hospital Wing before breakfast. It's good to come down early on the first day, so you can get your timetables before classes begin."

Penelope moved off to catch up with her own friends, and the two first years smiled shyly at each other. "Thank you for helping me, Harry," Hermione whispered.

"You're welcome, Hermione," Harry replied with a smile. He had never had a friend before, apart from Ditsy, and he was pleased he had managed to make friends with Hermione so easily.

Early the next morning, Penelope escorted Hermione and Harry, who had been waiting in the common room with Hermione, to the hospital wing. The Mediwitch ran her wand over Hermione and produced another vial of Healing Potion for the young girl to drink.

"Run along now," Madam Pomfrey instructed, when Hermione had downed the potion. "But I want to see you again after school."

Penelope took the children down to the Great Hall, and they settled themselves at the breakfast table. It was not long before Professor Flitwick appeared with their timetables, and Hermione scanned it eagerly.

"Oh good! We have Potions first thing!" Hermione exclaimed, causing most of the nearby students who were present to look at her strangely. Potions was not a popular subject, as Professor Snape was very strict and intolerant of errors, especially from students who were not in Slytherin. While all four Heads of House favoured their own House to some extent, Professor Snape was the most biased towards his own house, something he felt he needed to be as the other professors were all strongly prejudiced against Slytherin.

Up at the Head table, the Potions Master smiled to himself when he heard the Ravenclaw girl's exclamation. He had been appalled when he realised that Miss Granger had been injured as a result of the Potters' attention-seeking ways and that no one had done anything to help her. He had taken a liking to the bushy-haired girl the previous night and was looking forward to seeing how well she performed in his class.

It was not long after that when the post owls arrived. Severus unfolded his copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and was not surprised to see that the story of the second Potter boy was front page. As someone who was not a fan of the Potters, Severus was quite enjoying Rita Skeeter's somewhat disparaging account of the _'Poor boy who it would seem has been neglected by his parents in their on-going quest for public affection on the back of the Boy-Who-Lived.'_ Severus knew that Rita had tried many times over the years to get an interview with the Potters and the Boy-Who-Lived, and had always been viciously shot down. This article, it would seem, was her revenge. The Potions Master had no idea if Rita's depiction of the Potters was correct but suspected it was. Poppy Pomfrey had been quite shocked the previous night when she saw how short and scrawny Harry was in comparison to Evan Potter, and had surreptitiously run a medical scan on him. The Mediwitch was horrified by Harry's poor physical condition as detailed on her scan, and had asked Severus to brew some nutrition potions for Harry. As Severus was amusing himself listening to Minerva's outraged muttering with regard to Rita, a commotion broke out at the Gryffindor table.

"What? I don't have a brother!" shouted Evan in an outraged bellow. The red-headed Potter boy swung round to look more closely at Harry, having pretty much ignored him the previous evening. "But… but he's just a _servant!_ He's like a house-elf! My parents say that's all he's good for! What are you doing here, boy? You know you're not allowed to be seen by good, upright people. Go home and scrub the kitchen, like the worthless burden you are!"

A horrified silence spread through the Great Hall. Even Minerva was looking like she had chewed a wasp at this revelation. It was very obvious that Harry was James and Lily Potter's son and Evan clearly did not realise what he had admitted—namely that he and his parents had abused his brother shamefully. But while everyone was looking at Evan Potter in disgust, Severus was looking at the mortified boy sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Seeing no one was acting either to reprimand Evan or to stand up for Harry, he sighed and snapped at the annoying Gryffindor.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your uncouth and vulgar behaviour, Mr Evan Potter, and detention tonight with Mr Filch. Get back to your meals!" he snapped, looking round the hall and the students all immediately concentrated on their plates. All except Hermione, who was hugging Harry.

"You're not worthless, Harry," she was whispering his ear, but Harry was too busy trying not to cry to pay attention to her.

Severus looked at the Head of Ravenclaw with a raised eyebrow. "Are you not going to comfort your first year after he was humiliated in front of the entire school, Filius?"

Professor Flitwick gave no response but, like the students, simply concentrated on his meal. Severus sneered at the diminutive professor and headed out the Great Hall, choosing to depart from the main door instead of the staff entrance he normally used.

"I'm going to set up for my first class," Severus announced as he strode through the hall.

Hermione took the hint and immediately grabbed Harry's hand, urging him up. "Come on," she muttered, leading him out of the hall in the Head of Slytherin's wake. Following Severus, the two first years felt relief at being safely away from all the unwanted attention—at least until their first class began, but that would surely be enough time to get himself back under control, Harry supposed.

Although it had been hard for Harry to be under a microscope all day, the two children enjoyed their classes, especially Potions—Severus had focused his wrath on the pupils who were staring at Harry and clearly gossiping about him. Harry was still not very used to large numbers of people and so being started at wherever he went, with whispers following in his wake, had been very hard for the boy. It was Hermione's support and the excitement of learning magic like any other boy that had got him through the day.

After classes ended for the day, Albus Dumbledore summoned the Heads of House and the school Mediwitch to a meeting in his office. "I had James Potter here earlier," the Headmaster announced ruefully. "He was furious about the article in today's _Prophet_."

"Angry because he was caught, I presume," drawled Severus, ignoring the glare Minerva sent his way.

"Please, Severus," Dumbledore sighed wearily. "James has declared that wants nothing to do with the boy. In fact, he and Lily have officially disowned him. That means Harry needs a new guardian. Filius, as his Head of House, will you stand in until something more permanent can be arranged?"

Filius Flitwick said nothing, looking away uneasily.

"I see," said Dumbledore slowly. "Well, if Filius would prefer not to take on Harry's guardianship, Poppy would you mind becoming his guardian as the school Mediwitch? It will only be temporary until we find someone else."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" snapped Severus. "I'll do it!"

"You?" asked Minerva incredulously.

"Yes, me! It's not like anyone else will be willing to go against the Potters in this matter," Severus said snidely. "Look at yourselves! You're all so busy sucking up to them that you can't even acknowledge that a _child_ is in need of help and care. Well, I don't care what the Potters think! And don't you dare object, Albus Dumbledore, because the only other people who might be willing to take in the boy are Death Eaters and you know it! Give me the paperwork to sign, I'm sure you have it ready."

Severus snatched the documents Albus held out to him, filling in his own name and signing in the appropriate places. The Headmaster had already filled in Harry's details. Paperwork completed, Severus pushed his magic into his signature and the document glowed brightly to indicate that the documents were now legal and binding. One copy disappeared to the Ministry of Magic and Severus snatched up the second copy. He stormed out the room in high dudgeon, robes billowing behind him.

The other three Heads of House and the Headmaster all exchanged uneasy glances, but Poppy merely shook her head and tutted at them. "I have to get back to the hospital wing," she said, looking down her nose at her colleagues in disgust. "I have a patient to see."

Poppy made her way up to the infirmary where Hermione was waiting for her. The Mediwitch was not surprised to see Harry with her. "I'm sorry, I was called away for a few minutes," she said with a warm smile. "Now, you two wait here. I just have to check something in my office."

Entering her office, Poppy, who was Severus' closest ally on the Hogwarts staff, closed the door behind her and summoned the elf who was assigned to assist in the hospital wing. "Please find Professor Snape and give him a message for me. Tell Professor Snape that Harry is in the infirmary, if he's looking for the boy."

"Caddy will do that," the elf said before popping away.

Madam Pomfrey then went to check on Hermione's leg. "Yes, one more dose and that will be it, I think," she smiled at the young girl. "Take it now. If you have any more trouble with your leg, though, come back and see me immediately."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," said Hermione obediently, just as the infirmary doors flew open, banging loudly against the wall.

"Severus Snape, stop banging my doors!" Poppy snapped.

Severus ignored her and stalked over to the two children, who looked at him wide-eyed. The dark man was clearly in a rage and they were not sure why.

"Mr… Harry," said Severus with a wince. "I need to talk to you. Would you come with me, please?"

Fear gripped Harry and he reached out for Hermione's hand. "Can Hermione come with me?" he asked in a scared voice.

Severus hesitated. "I'm not sure…"

"I think that would be a very good idea," came Poppy's voice, cutting across him. Severus looked round and Poppy beckoned to him.

With a sigh, Severus went over the Mediwitch. "Harry needs all the support he can get," Poppy whispered.

Turning back to look at the children, Severus saw the fear on Harry's face. With a curt nod to Poppy, he stalked towards the door. "Come along, you two," he said, trying not to snap at them; it was not their fault he was in a temper.

The two children trailed after the Potions Master as he made his way down to the dungeons. Ushering them into his office, Severus debated whether or not to take Harry into his quarters. He had never allowed a student into his rooms before, but if he was going to be Harry's guardian, Severus' chambers would now also be Harry's home.

With a sigh, Severus ushered the children into his quarters through the connecting door in his office and told them to sit down. They perched anxiously together on the sofa, still holding hands tightly, while Severus settled into an armchair opposite them.

"Harry," he began gently. "Your parents were somewhat angry about the story in today's paper."

"They're not my parents! They've never treated me as part of the family! I don't want them!" Harry cried out in pain.

 _'Apparently, they don't want you, either,'_ Severus winced. "James and Lily Potter have officially disowned you."

"Good! I didn't want to go back there anyway!" exclaimed Harry defiantly, tears running silently down his cheeks.

Severus pulled a calming draught out of his pocket and handed it to the distraught child. "Drink this," he said firmly.

As Harry drank the potion, Hermione looked at the Potions Master soberly. "Won't Harry need a guardian now?" she asked quietly.

"Harry, I'm your new guardian," said Severus compassionately. "I hope that's all right with you?"

Harry nodded, and then broke down. "Why didn't they ever want me?" he wailed.

Severus moved over to the couch and took the boy in his arms, rubbing his back in comfort until Harry stopped crying. "I don't know why they didn't want a fine son such as you, Harry, but I assure you that I want you. Because you've been disowned, you can no longer call yourself Potter. Would you like to be Harry Snape instead?"

"Yes, please," Harry hiccupped. In truth, he would like to change his first name as well, as he did not want anything from his former family, but he had only barely got used to being called Harry instead of Boy, and he did not want to have to get used to another new name now. Perhaps later, when it did not hurt so much.

Severus kept the children in his chambers until just before curfew, summoning an elf to bring them supper. Severus himself attended the evening meal in the Great Hall, and at his urging, the Headmaster stood to announce that Harry was now Harry Snape, and that the students were not to discuss this, or ask the first year Ravenclaw about it, lest they risk incurring the Potions Masters' wrath. The students were all sufficiently in awe of the dark man, even the Slytherins, that Severus had no doubt they would heed the warning.

 _'All except Evan Potter, that is,'_ Severus sighed mentally, noting the look of triumph on the obnoxious boy's face. "I suggest you make it clear to Evan Potter that this stricture applies to him as well, Minerva. He is not to discuss Harry. He is not to utter one single word about him, or I will be _severely_ displeased. And I advise you to tell him _now_ , since he is currently holding court at the Gryffindor table, and I am on the verge of handing him a month's worth of detentions for ignoring the Headmaster's announcement."

Professor McGonagall flushed in anger but she heeded Severus' warning and headed over to the Gryffindor table. Severus could see Evan Potter arguing with Minerva and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

 _'Only Evan Potter would think he has a right to dictate to a teacher,'_ Severus thought in disgust. _'Potter and Lily have brought him up to be an arrogant brat.'_

Luckily for Evan, since Severus was itching to give him detention for the rest of his school career, the boy eventually sat down. Severus snorted at the glares being levelled his way from the odious boy, and glanced over at Minerva, suppressing his amusement at the disgruntled expression on her face. "Was the precious Boy-Who-Lived trying to lord it over his Head of House? Surely not?" he asked slightly maliciously, grinning to himself in delight at her grimace. Severus had something of a love-hate relationship with the Head of Gryffindor. He admired her talent and skill as a witch, and her abilities as a teacher, however, he despised the way the powerful witch was such a sycophant to Dumbledore and the Potters, and thus did not ever stand up to them, not even for the good of the students in her care.

As the weeks passed, things settled down. The students occupied themselves with lessons, homework and Quidditch, and so the sensation caused by the revelation of Harry's existence died down. Severus and Harry bonded surprisingly quickly. Severus entered whole-heartedly into being Harry's guardian and became very fond of the small first year who so looked up to and admired him. Harry may have looked the spitting image of James Potter but he was nothing like his birth father in character and Severus found himself caring deeply for the boy who had been so starved of affection, and who was so grateful for any attention. Harry, in the meantime, was revelling in having a father figure who genuinely cared for him and who took the very best care of him. Severus even intervened when it became clear that certain members of staff were grading Harry unfairly by always, and unjustifiably, marking Harry lower than Evan in order not to upset the Potters.

Harry and Hermione also became closer, and Severus became quite used to seeing the two children in his quarters, to the extent that Severus was considering asking Albus to add another bedroom for Hermione's use. Harry did not feel entirely welcome in Ravenclaw, as all his housemates other than Penelope were following the lead of the staff, who were keeping Harry at a distance in order to appease the Potters. Hermione, as Harry's friend, suffered by association, even though it was she who brought in most of the points that Ravenclaw earned. Indeed, ironically enough, the Slytherins were the only students who treated Harry and Hermione well. Word had got around about Hermione's defence of Slytherin when Madam Pomfrey had automatically assumed it was they who had injured the Muggleborn witch on Platform 9¾ on the first of September, and Harry was regarded as an honorary Slytherin since he was the ward of their Head of House. Harry and Hermione made friends among the Slytherin first years, who took it upon themselves to teach the two Ravenclaws all the aspects of wizarding culture of which they were unaware.

One evening mid-way through October, when the two children were back in Ravenclaw Tower, Severus was disturbed by a coughing sound coming from a portrait in his rooms. Severus had bespelled his quarters to prevent any portraits from having access, knowing that the Headmaster would use the portraits to spy on him, but Phineas Nigellus Black was a special case. Although the former Headmasters and Headmistresses were supposed to be loyal first and foremost to the current Headmaster, the last Slytherin Headmaster of Hogwarts, Phineas Nigellus, was quite devious enough to work his way around that and thus managed to show exceptional loyalty to the Head of Slytherin. Additionally, Phineas despised Sirius, who was the last of the Blacks, and so enjoyed circumventing anything the Headmaster was doing or planning which involved Sirius.

"What is it, Phineas?" Severus asked, not even raising his head from his marking.

"You've become rather fond of the Potter lad," the late Headmaster sneered.

" _Former_ Potter," Severus corrected severely, continuing to grade papers.

"Indeed. You should make sure he's fully protected," said Phineas Nigellus conversationally. "Adoption would be better than guardianship. Albus couldn't interfere that way."

At that, Severus looked up. "Is the Headmaster planning to interfere?" he asked levelly.

"Not yet," Phineas replied.

"But…?"

"But the Potters and Sirius aren't happy about the boy's presence in the school with their precious whelp. They're trying to force his removal, but they can't because you're his guardian and, as a member of staff of Hogwarts, you have a right to keep your child, or you ward, in the castle regardless of whether or not he actually attends Hogwarts for his schooling. Your position currently offers the boy a measure of protection, but if those two manage to get your guardianship overturned, that protection will end. The boy could have his wand snapped and be Obliviated. He'd probably be dumped in the nearest Muggle orphanage if that were to happen."

"And Albus is willing to allow the entire school to be Obliviated of all memory of Harry?" Severus asked incredulously. "Because that's what Potter and Black will demand."

"That's Albus' sticking point," Phineas admitted. "He keeps trying to tell Potter and Sirius that in order to effect the boy's removal without a scandal, it would be necessary to Obliviate the entire wizarding world, since his existence is now public knowledge. Of course, that would be impossible to do, but those two fools refuse to accept that. Besides, the Board would raise an uproar if anyone tampered with their minds or with those of their families, and Albus would be out on his rear, but the two idiots seem to think that the Board's perfectly reasonable objections count for nothing against what they want."

"Adopting Harry so that it couldn't be overturned won't be easy," Severus commented.

"Easier than you think," smirked Phineas. "Potter and his wife did the full ritual of disownment, in Albus' office, with Sirius and Albus both witnessing it. When Walburga disowned Sirius, she can't have disowned him properly as he could still inherit. What the Potters did was to strike the boy out from their hearts, their souls, their blood and their magic, for now and for all time. It can never be reversed. If you get in there quickly and do the full ritual of adoption…"

"That won't be able to be reversed either," Severus finished, understanding where Phineas Nigellus was leading him.

Phineas turned abruptly and disappeared out the frame, and Severus sat back to think.

The next day, Severus sat down to talk to his ward in the privacy of his chambers. "Harry, you know that your birth parents disowned you?"

"Yes, but I don't care because you became my guardian," the young boy replied happily.

"Harry, guardianship isn't the same as being a parent. It's not as permanent. The Wizengamot could overturn it and give your guardianship to someone else." Harry looked terrified and Severus put his arm around him reassuringly. "That's why I would like to adopt you, if you agree. Do you know what adoption is Harry?" The black haired boy was by no means unintelligent but Severus had found that Harry's upbringing had left large gaps in his knowledge.

"It means that I'd be your dad, instead of only your guardian. Then no one could take you away from me."

Harry could not meet Severus' eyes. "But if you're my dad, you won't want me anymore," he whispered sadly. "James Potter didn't."

"Oh no, Harry. James Potter didn't want you because he didn't regard himself as your dad. I would be very proud and honoured to be your dad and I'll _always_ want you as my son."

"Really?"

"Really," Severus confirmed. "Would you like it if I were to adopt you?"

"If you adopted me then I'd belong to you forever?"

"Yes, you would," Severus nodded.

Yes, please!" Harry said eagerly.

That weekend, Severus left Hogwarts to do some private errands, telling the Headmaster that there were things Harry needed, and he was therefore taking the boy with him. Of course, this was subterfuge as Ditsy had seen that Harry was well-equipped for school, but the Headmaster did not know this. Having made arrangements in advance, Severus flooed directly into the Hog's Head Inn, which was owned by Aberforth Dumbledore, who did not get on well with his brother and who Severus therefore trusted to assist him in this matter. Also meeting them in the private room Severus had booked was Arsenius Jigger, the Master to whom Severus had apprenticed in order to gain a dual Mastery in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"It's good to see you, Severus," said Arsenius warmly as the younger man exited the floo.

"You too, Arsenius," replied Severus equally warmly. "Arsenius, Aberforth, this is my ward, Harry. Harry, these are Master Jigger and Mr Dumbledore."

Harry looked wide-eyed at Aberforth when Severus introduced him, and Aberforth laughed.

"I may be your Headmaster's brother but you can be sure we're very different people, young Harry."

Harry nodded and politely shook hands with both men, then looked up at Severus for further instructions.

"Go and sit down over there for a few minutes, while I talk to Master Jigger and Mr Dumbledore. We won't be long," Severus instructed pointing to a small armchair in the corner and Harry did as he was told, pulling a book out of his pocket and beginning to read it.

Severus looked at Harry with a proud smile and turned to his conspirators. "Thank you both for agreeing to meet me today," he said, erecting silencing wards around the room before sitting down at the small table with the two men.

"What can we do for you today, Severus?" asked Arsenius when the wards were complete.

"I need you both to bear witness, please," Severus replied.

Arsenius raised in eyebrow in a silent query while Aberforth, lacking the patience for Slytherin games, asked gruffly, "Bear witness to what?"

"The Potters have disowned Harry, using the full ritual. I wish to adopt him, and need witnesses to the adoption ritual."

"Why us, Severus?" asked Arsenius calmly.

"I trust you implicitly, Arsenius. You should know this. I bound myself to you as your apprentice, after all. I could not have bound myself to you if I did not trust you." Arsenius nodded and Severus turned to Aberforth. "I also trust you, Aberforth. You're discreet and know how to keep secrets. And you're the only other person I could think of who would be willing to do something of which your brother might disapprove."

"That's good enough for me," Aberforth stated with an understanding grin and Arsenius nodded in agreement, his lips also curving in amusement.

"Harry," Severus called. "Come over here, please." His soon-to-be son immediately put his book back in his pocket and came to stand by Severus. "You remember what I told you would be happening here today?" Severus asked, and Harry nodded.

"Yessir," Harry said.

"Good," said Severus smiling warmly at him.

Not wanting to attract attention, Severus added further wards to the room to contain the burst of magic that would be expended during the ritual. Then, guiding Harry gently before him with a hand on his shoulder, Severus moved to stand in the centre of the room, while Aberforth and Arsenius stood to the side, watching and ready to bear witness. Severus took a ritual knife from his pocket and made a small cut in the palm of his hand; he knelt down so he was closer to Harry's height, and taking Harry's hand in his, made a small cut in the boy's palm as well. The two clasped hands, their blood mingling through the cuts.

"I, Severus Snape, take Harry Snape, formerly Henry James Potter, into my heart, my soul, my blood and my magic as my son from this time forth, for now and for all time, by blood, by law and by magic, so mote it be," Severus declared, following the hints Phineas had given as to what needed to be included in the ritual.

"I, Harry Snape, formerly Henry James Potter, take Severus Snape into my heart, my soul, my blood and my magic as my father from this time forth, for now and for all time, by blood, by law and by magic, so mote it be," Harry repeated obediently.

When a brilliant white light surrounded Severus and Harry, Aberforth and Arsenius raised their wands and sent white sparks shooting towards the dome of light that was encasing and binding the two in the centre of the room. "Witnessed and endorsed," the two men intoned ritually, pushing their magic into the dome, much as Severus had done when first signing Harry's guardianship papers.

With that, magic took hold, the dome of light flashed brightly before fading, and the ritual was complete. Severus pulled Harry into a hug and whispered in his ear. "My son," he said emotionally.

"Dad," was all that Harry said, but it was enough. Severus understood what his new son was feeling, as Harry's arms snaked around Severus' neck and held on tightly.

Severus stood up with Harry still in his arms, and kept the newest Snape perched on his hip, not wanting to let go of the boy just yet. "I thank you both, more than I can say," said Severus, with heartfelt gratitude.

"It was our pleasure," replied Arsenius with a courteous bow of the head, bringing down the wards and taking his leave.

Severus settled up with Aberforth for use of the room and then discreetly exited the inn from the rear. Severus led Harry into a few shops in Hogsmeade, buying Harry some books, toys and games, pictures and other items so that Harry could personalise his room in Severus' chambers and then escorted his son back to the school. Once safely in their quarters, Severus had a quiet word with Harry.

"Remember that you can't tell anyone that I've adopted you, yet," Severus bid Harry.

"You're not ashamed of me, are you?" Harry asked with big, green eyes.

"Of course not, son," Severus replied, ruffling Harry's perpetually messy mop of hair. "I just want to wait for the right moment to spring our surprise."

Harry grinned in appreciation. "Can I tell Hermione?" he asked.

" _May_ I tell Hermione. And yes, you may, but only when you're in these rooms. And you must make her aware that she can't say anything about it outside these rooms yet."

"I will, Dad,' said Harry. "I promise."

.o.O.o.

It was not long after this that Halloween came around. Severus deeply disliked the holiday and Harry, who had by now learned more about what had happened on that fateful night a decade ago was no more inclined to look forward to the evening's feast than Severus was. What made it even worse was that James and Lily Potter would be attending the feast that evening. Unfortunately for both Snapes, attendance was compulsory for both staff and students.

Severus sat down at the head table that evening and looked with a raised eyebrow at the empty seat next to him. "I'm sure Quirinus has only been delayed and will be along shortly," said Albus, his eyes twinkling.

Severus rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the plate. Sure enough, a few minutes after the feast had started, the missing professor made his appearance. As Professor Quirrell strode into the Great Hall, a somewhat muffled and unfamiliar voice issued from the man. "It is time for my revenge. Reveal me, Quirinus."

"Yes, Master," the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor stuttered, his tone obsequious and servile.

At the head table, the Headmaster, who had obviously recognised the second voice, had drawn his wand and had begun to rise out of his seat when Quirrell took off his turban. The children all began to scream in terror when they saw another face on the back of Quirrell's head. Some tried to run out the door, but Quirrell withdrew his wand and sealed the doors shut. With a swipe of his wand, everyone was stuck in place.

 _"_ You must all witness this," the cold voice pronounced. _"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapour… I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…"_ ³

Suddenly, Quirrell started screaming in pain. "Master! Master, no!"

"You have served me well, Quirinus, and now it is time you give your life for your Master," the cold voice said. To everyone's horror, the face started melting into Quirrell's head, taking full possession of Quirrell's body instead of sharing it with its true owner. When the face was completely absorbed, Quirrell's features changed and his eyes turned red, glaring hatefully around the room.

"I have returned," he gloated. "Now, where is the boy? Give him to me and I will allow you all to go."

"You can't have my son!" cried Lily, as she and James both pulled out their wands, trying frantically to get up and protect Evan.

Voldemort laughed, a cruel and malicious sound. "Evan Potter?!" he asked incredulously. "Surely you don't believe your puling, useless, arrogant brat was responsible for my unfortunate condition?"

Silence spread over the room. James and Lily were visibly forcing themselves to remain silent. It was obvious they wanted to refute the Dark Lord's rejection of Evan, but at the same time, they did not want to give their son to him. As everyone gathered gaped in shock over the implications of what had just been revealed, it was left to Harry to speak up.

"But… but it was Evan who destroyed you," he stammered.

"Foolish boy! The child who defeated me that night had black hair and green eyes. It was not the red-headed child, who slept through our encounter without waking. Do you not even know what you did? What you're capable of?" The Dark Lord strode over to the Ravenclaw table and grabbed Harry by the collar of his robes, yanking the boy out of his seat.

"No! Not Harry! Don't hurt him! Please don't hurt him!" Hermione screamed, tears running down her face as she tried to hold onto Harry, who was being dragged inexorably away from her.

Harry stumbled and reflexively reached out to steady himself, unintentionally grabbing hold of Voldemort's bare hand. The Dark Lord screamed in pain. "What magic is this?" he roared, letting go of Harry and looking at his hand which was now burnt badly. "Still, no matter," Voldemort continued. "You will not live much longer in any case, boy."

The Dark Lord raised his wand and began the incantation. _"Ava…"_

Acting purely on impulse, Harry lunged forward. He knew that he stood no chance in a duel against Voldemort but neither was he about to stand there and calmly let this man kill him. Aware of the fact that his touch had somehow harmed the Dark Lord, Harry reached up and instinctively clamped his hands around the Dark Lord's face. Voldemort screamed in agony, and his hands came up to clasp around Harry's arms, as he tried to force Harry's hands away from his face. But Harry's sleeves had fallen down and Voldemort reached the bare skin of Harry's arms, which only compounded the problem; this caused the Dark Lord to howl even louder as his hands and face began to smoke and turn to ash.

"Harry!" Severus screamed, still unable to release himself from the seat he was glued to. Even Dumbledore did not seem able to break this spell of Voldemort's. "Harry, let go!"

Severus' voice penetrated Harry's haze of desperation. This was the voice of the only adult who had ever cared for him. This voice could not be disobeyed. Harry let go and staggered backwards, collapsing on the floor in sheer exhaustion, as the Dark Lord continued to burn. When Voldemort was no more than a pile of ash, the spell holding everyone in place dissolved and Severus raced over to his son, closely followed by Hermione, who threw herself down beside the black-haired boy and cradled his head on her knees.

"Can you help him? Please, Professor," the petite witch begged.

"Get away from my son, Snivellus." James Potter came strutting over to them. Severus ignored the swaggering fool in favour of persuading a weak Harry to down a Pepperup Potion.

James leaned down to pull Severus away. "I said, get away!" the Potter braggart blustered.

 _Crack!_ The sound of a slap echoed around the hall.

"Harry's not your son!" spat Hermione furiously. "You rejected him in favour of Evan, so go back to the red-headed twit!"

"How dare you!" James reached out to grab Hermione and shake her, only to be met with Severus' wand pointing at him.

"Keep your hands off my pupils," Severus hissed in a voice so full of menace and danger that James paled and scrambled backwards.

"We just want to check on our son, Sev," said Lily winsomely. "We need to know he's all right."

Severus was not moved by Lily's charm offensive. He knew from bitter experience how false it was.

"As Miss Granger pointed out, Harry is not your son," Severus reiterated with a sigh. "You disowned him both legally and magically, in such a manner that it can't be reversed. By the same token, I adopted Harry as my son, both legally and magically, again in such a manner that it can't be reversed. Harry is _my_ son, and I suggest you both stay away from him or I will have you arrested for harassing my child. Am. I. Clear?"

"Severus," said Dumbledore wearily.

Tiring of the drama and wanting to take Harry away from all the people who were staring at them in shock, Severus stood up, lifting Harry into his arms. " _My son_ ," he said, emphasising the words, "is magically exhausted after defeating the Dark Lord… _again!_ This, however, is nothing that can't be cured by plenty of rest and nourishment. I will be taking my son to our chambers until he has recovered." Feeling a tug on his robes, Severus glanced down at Hermione, who was looking pleadingly at him. "Miss Granger will also be spending the night in our quarters," Severus added, looking at Filius Flitwick, who nodded dumbly.

Severus sneered at the dumbfounded response from the Head of the so-called Clever House and swung around, striding towards the doors of the Great Hall with Hermione trotting in his wake, only to be stopped by James and Lily Potter standing in his way.

"Where are you taking our son, Snivellus?" James growled.

"I repeat, Harry isn't your son," said Severus, speaking very slowly and carefully, as though addressing an idiot, which, to Severus' mind, he was. "I suggest you cast the Family Ties spell if you're in any doubt. Actually," Severus turned towards the head table. "Albus, I suggest you cast the spell. I doubt Potter is capable of it," he grumbled, ignoring James who was flushed red with anger.

The Headmaster came to join the figures gathered at the door. Taking out his wand, the elderly statesman cast a spell on Harry, James and Lily, and a number of coloured threads appeared, clearly visible to all in the hall. First three white threads appeared, two of which, the ones that connected Evan to each of his parents, were very dull.

Severus sneered to himself at the sight, as the dim and dingy colour made the bond between Evan and his parents appear to be sickly and unhealthy. _'No doubt because James and Lily care more about being the parents of the Boy-Who-Lived than they actually care about their son,'_ Severus thought in disgust.

In contrast, the third white thread, which ran between Harry and Severus, was a brilliant, incandescent, shimmering white, displaying beyond any shadow of a doubt just how strong the parental bond between Harry and Severus was.

The Headmaster looked crestfallen when he saw that the threads running from Harry to each of his former parents and his former brother were in a murky black colour, clearly indicating the severed family ties. At any other time, Severus would have smirked at Dumbledore but he was too worried about Harry to allow himself that small and—he had to admit to himself—petty pleasure.

Surprisingly, there was also a shimmering golden thread stretching between Harry and Hermione. Severus' eyes widened at the sight of this golden thread; he knew that Harry and Hermione were inseparable but this was totally unexpected. _'Soul mates,'_ he thought in awe.

While Severus was busy taking in the nature of the bond between Harry and Hermione, James Potter was having a tantrum. "You must have cast it wrong, Albus. Cast it again," the arrogant Potter ordered imperiously.

By now, even Albus appeared to be losing patience with the Potters, and Severus could hear the very audible sigh the old man uttered as he cast the spell again. To no one's surprise, except perhaps the Potters, the results were exactly the same as previously.

"Do something, Albus! I demand that you fix this!" James screamed as Lily pushed away Evan, who had just come running up to his parents. The school watched in appalled horror as Lily's shove sent Evan falling over hard while his parents just ignored him.

Minerva came rushing over to the Potters and whispered urgently in James and Lily's ears, obviously doing damage control. Severus could see when what Minerva was saying registered on the two senior Potters, as Lily's arm reached out and pulled Evan towards her as she gazed round the hall and simpered prettily at their audience. James, however, did not have enough sense either to try and make nice or even to show shame for his behaviour. Instead James Potter scoffed at those looking at him with condemnation in their eyes, alienating them even further. Severus rolled his eyes and finally managed to escape the Great Hall while the Potters' attention was elsewhere.

Striding into his Chambers, Severus carried Harry into the spare room. "Would you mind pulling the bed covers back for me, Miss Granger?" he asked softly and Hermione rushed to comply. Severus laid his son on the bed and covered him up, making sure to tuck in the boy securely.

"Did Harry manage to eat at all?" Severus asked, and Hermione shook her head. The Potions Master silently summoned a nutrition potion and spelled it into Harry. "Come," Severus said gently, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder and steering her back into the living area. "Did you manage to eat?"

Hermione shook her head again and Severus summoned Ditsy, who was the only elf he allowed into his quarters, to bring a plate of food for Hermione. "You must eat, Miss Granger," Severus instructed, looking carefully at the girl who appeared to be in shock. Hermione began shaking her head frantically, and Severus spoke again, still in that gentle but firm tone.

"You need to be strong for Harry, Hermione," Severus said, deciding that being informal with her would bring a sense of family, which would make the girl feel safe and thus reassure her.

At that, the young girl picked up her knife and fork and began to eat mechanically, still in the deep silence into which she had fallen since leaving the Great Hall. Severus sighed and waited for the young girl to finish eating. When Hermione finally laid down her cutlery, Severus disappeared into Harry's room for a moment.

"The bathroom is through there. Go and get undressed." Severus reappeared with a pair of Harry's pyjamas and pointed at a doorway. Still in that white-faced silence, Hermione did as she was bid.

"Come with me, Hermione," Severus said when the girl reappeared, and led her into Harry's room. Taking out his wand, Severus silently enlarged Harry's bed into a double size. "In you get," said Severus kindly. Hermione blindly climbed into the bed and immediately snuggled up to Harry, a faint smile flitting across her face once she was lying curled around the boy. Severus breathed a sigh of relief on seeing this first sign of life in the girl who was undoubtedly in deep shock. The Potions Master handed the young Ravenclaw a vial with a mild sleeping draught and instructed her to drink it. Waiting until the brown eyes drifted closed, Severus set a monitoring charm on the bedroom, set his wards on his chambers and closed off the floo so he could not be interrupted, and made his weary way to bed himself.

Rising early in the morning, Severus glanced into the children's room and saw that they were both still fast asleep. Severus did not expect Harry to waken this morning, nor did he want to rouse Hermione; she had been deeply upset by the events of the previous evening and Severus felt it advisable to let her sleep it off. Sitting down with a cup of tea and the newspaper, Severus waited to see if Hermione would wake up before he had to leave.

Unfolding the newspaper, Severus took a gulp of tea and nearly spit it out when the saw the front page. It was very obvious that the _Daily Prophet_ must have been inundated by letters sent after the feast the previous night, since the entire evenings events were laid out in great—and highly accurate—detail.

Severus read the account with great amusement, noting the searing condemnation of James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore for deceiving the wizarding public for all these years by claiming falsely that Evan Potter was the Boy-Who-Lived. He especially enjoyed the scathing account of Harry having been cruelly forgotten and abandoned while the Potters and their allies promoted Evan, only for James and Lily then to turn their backs on Evan as soon as it came out that he was not in fact the Boy-Who-Lived. The article finished up by calling for an investigation into whether or not the authorities, the Chief Warlock in particular, had been aware that Voldemort had not actually died on Halloween ten years previously, and demanded an assurance that this time he had indeed been defeated once and for all.

Severus was particularly impressed by the subtle hints that James and Lily should be monitored to see if they would now become neglectful parents of Evan, and greatly appreciated the approbation he himself received for adopting Harry and giving him a loving home. There were plenty of anonymous quotes telling of the superb care Harry was receiving from James Potter's arch enemy, Severus Snape. Severus grinned as he imagined James having an apoplexy when he read the morning's paper.

All too soon, it was time for Severus to make his compulsory appearance at breakfast, although for once he was actually looking forward to it and to seeing the school's reaction to the revelations in the _Daily Prophet_. _'Minerva will be bristling like a hedgehog,'_ he thought with glee.

Before leaving, Severus looked in on the children again and spelled another nutrition potion into Harry. "Ditsy," he called softly, and the elf appeared with a pop.

"Harry is suffering from magical exhaustion. He will be fine, he just needs to sleep. I'm giving him nutrition potions, rather than waking him to eat. Hermione will probably awaken some time this time morning. Please bring her something to eat when she does, and tell her she should remain in bed with Harry until I return. Here are some books for her to read, if she doesn't want to go back to sleep," he added, placing a pile of books on a table near Hermione.

"Ditsy will do that, Master Snape," the devoted elf agreed.

When Severus returned at lunchtime, Harry was still asleep, and Hermione was curled up next to him, reading a book. She looked up as Severus entered and smiled at him.

"How are you feeling, Hermione?" Severus asked, coming to sit on the edge of the bed beside her.

"Better than last night," she shuddered.

"You certainly look better than you did last night," said Severus, scrutinising her face carefully. He was glad to see that she had good colour this morning. "Did you eat?"

"Oh, yes. Ditsy's been taking good care of me."

"Good. I've sent Ditsy to get clean clothes for you. Why don't you shower and get dressed? You should go to class this afternoon. You can come back after your last class," Severus added, seeing Hermione hesitate.

"Professor? Last night… what?"

"I think it would be best if I tell you and Harry together," said Severus firmly. "I would ask you not to discuss last night with anyone else until then."

"Yes, sir," said Hermione obediently.

It did not take Hermione long to get ready and then Severus summoned Ditsy to bring Hermione lunch, as there was not enough time for her to go to the Great Hall. After eating, Hermione went off to her afternoon classes but found it a great strain. Normally, most of the first years simply sneered at her for being Harry's friend and then proceeded to ignore her. Today, however, she could feel that there were eyes on her at all times. Even more disconcerting were the continual whispers behind her back.

It was a great relief to Hermione when she returned to Severus' quarters after class. She had long ago been given the password to his chambers and let herself in quite happily. Severus looked up as the petite witch entered and smiled at her.

"How was class?" he asked mildly.

"Uncomfortable. Discombobulating," Hermione replied, making a face. "How is Harry?"

"Still asleep. You can go and look in on him."

Hermione nodded and headed towards Harry's room. Pausing at the door, she turned to ask Severus a question. "Professor…"

"Hmm?"

Hermione huffed. For someone who loved books, learning and the library as much as she, this was a horrifying thing to have to admit. "I don't believe I'm going to say this, but I don't want to go to the library to do my homework. I don't think I'd be able to work well with everyone staring at me. Could I borrow some of your books? Please? I promise won't take them out your chambers and I'll take very good care of them."

"There is no student in this school I trust as much as you to take good care of books, Hermione," Severus smiled. "What homework do you have?"

Hermione listed her homework, and the Potions Professor selected a number of useful books from his shelves.

"May I work at the desk in Harry's room? I'd like to be with him."

"Of course you may," said Severus warmly, helping her to carry the pile of books into the bedroom.

Hermione worked steadily until Severus summoned her to eat her evening meal. "Sir?" she said, after she had finished her meal. "Do I have to go back to the dorm tonight?"

Severus looked at the young witch with sympathy in his eyes. He knew how difficult her first two months at Hogwarts had been for her because the whole school had been treating Harry—and, by extension, Hermione—poorly. Even the staff, apart from himself, had been doing their best to pretend Harry and his friend did not exist, although Severus was pleased to see that his colleagues had at least been grading Hermione's work fairly.

 _'It's not like they could do otherwise. Hermione's work is just too good for them to mark it down, no matter how much it eats at them to give her a good mark,'_ Severus mused.

Now, however, Severus had a feeling things would be different. Phineas Nigellus Black had gleefully told Severus that not only had the Headmaster been inundated with Howlers on his own account, but James Potter had come screaming into the Headmaster's office that morning to demand that Albus do something with regard to the vast quantity of Howlers flooding the Potter home. Only Evan seemed to have been saved the influx of Howlers, Severus noted, presumably because the Daily Prophet had quite rightly placed all the blame with Albus Dumbledore and his parents and not with Evan himself, since he had been a mere baby when the Boy-Who-Lived mythos began. It seemed that the Potters had fallen into extreme disfavour since the events in the Great Hall the previous night and Severus hoped that the wizarding world would stop pandering to them now. There was no need for people to fawn all over Harry either—the boy would hate it, anyway—but treating him like any other boy attending Hogwarts should not be an unreasonable expectation.

Realising that Hermione was still waiting for an answer, Severus returned his attention to the girl. "You really should go back to your dorm, but you may stay here tonight. I'll inform Professor Flitwick."

Leaving Hermione to continue her homework, Severus asked Ditsy to watch over the children and went to the staffroom in search of the Head of Ravenclaw. "Ah, there you are, Filius," he said as he strode into the room, robes billowing behind him. "I just wanted to let you know that Harry hasn't yet awoken and Miss Granger will be staying in my quarters until he does wake."

"I don't think…" Filius began, his eyes shifting sideways to Minerva, who was glaring daggers at Severus. "Err, that is…"

"Merlin help our students. They're obviously being taught by a bunch of idiots. So much for Hogwarts' fine reputation," said Severus disparagingly. "I'm sure you all noted the golden thread between Harry and Miss Granger last night?" Severus glared at his colleagues challengingly and a few of them nodded mutely, while the others lowered their eyes to the floor. "To enlighten your ignorance, the gold thread indicates a true soul bond. Obviously, Harry and Miss Granger are too young to complete it, but until Harry has awakened from his current magical exhaustion, Miss Granger needs to be near him, and as they grow older, they may need to share a room full-time. In fact, Albus, I would like you to ask the castle to add a room to my quarters for Miss Granger."

"I'll do it tomorrow," the uncharacteristically abashed Headmaster agreed quietly.

Severus whirled around and stalked out, quietly resolving to go and visit the Grangers and explain matters to them before anyone else could interfere. Entering his quarters, he looked in on the children and saw that Harry was finally awake. He was sitting propped up by some pillows, and Hermione had transferred from the desk to sit on the bed beside Harry. Severus, who abhorred shoes on beds, was pleased to note Hermione's shoes had been removed and placed neatly out the way. Whenever the Head of House entered the Slytherin dorms, he inevitably tripped over stray shoes lying around messily.

"Hello, son. How are you feeling?" Severus asked quietly, coming to sit next to Harry on the other side of the bed.

"Tired," the boy replied.

"I'm sure you are. You were draining your magic when you grabbed hold of Voldemort. I'm not sure why his reaction to your touch was so… extreme, however. Whatever happened on that Halloween night must have had a great effect on him."

Harry nodded silently and turned his attention to the tray of food Ditsy had placed on his lap.

"Harry," said Severus gently. "Voldemort is dead. He possessed Professor Quirrell's body, and so when the body died, Voldemort died along with it. You are _not_ to blame for Quirrell's death! Quirrell was dead the moment he permitted Voldemort entrance. You just released him from his misery," he added emphatically.

"In any case, it's over now," Severus continued. "If anyone tries to ask you about Voldemort, you have the right to refuse to answer." Severus was pleased to see relief flash in the green eyes looking at him. "Now there is one other thing we must discuss about last night…"

"The coloured threads," Hermione murmured.

"What?" asked Harry in confusion.

"After you lost consciousness, James and Lily tried—unsuccessfully—to claim you as their son. I made very sure they knew they could never reclaim you and that you are now _my_ son. In order to prove it once and for all, the Headmaster cast a spell called Family Ties. When the spell is cast, coloured threads of light link family members. White threads show a parent/child bond."

"The white thread between you and Harry was very bright, Professor," Hermione noted, "but the threads between Evan and his parents were a dim colour. What does that mean?"

"The brighter the thread, the stronger the link," Severus explained.

"Oh. So what were the black threads? They were a really putrid colour, and there was something repellant about them, as though they were rotten and decayed."

"The black threads were the severed ties between Harry and his former family. They appear decayed," Severus explained, nodding in acknowledgement of Hermione's very appropriate wording, "because the family ties have decayed."

"I suppose that makes sense," Hermione murmured dubiously, repulsed by the truly unpleasant colour of those threads. "What was the thread between Harry and me? It was golden."

"One moment, Hermione," said Severus. Taking out his wand, Severus cast the Family Ties spell again on Harry, and once again, the bright white and shimmering golden threads appeared.

"Wow!" gasped Harry, his green eyes sparkling in awe.

"I thought you might like to see the threads, Harry. The black ones haven't appeared because none of your former family is present. I don't imagine you would want to see those threads anyway." Severus smiled as Harry shook his head emphatically, and continued his explanation. "A golden thread indicates a soul bond."

"A soul bond?"

"What's that?

Severus gazed at the two youngsters. Hermione, as always when faced with the prospect of learning something new, looked eager and excited, but Harry merely looked confused and slightly apprehensive.

"Soul mates are two people whose hearts, souls and magic are perfectly aligned. You are too young for marriage." Severus smothered a laugh at the look of panic on their faces at the thought of marriage. "However, when you are older and start looking for a life partner, you will each find in the other the perfect match. It's a very rare and precious thing to have a soul mate, and it's a gift usually only granted to those who are special in some way. Perhaps they are destined to make their mark on the world and will need the support of their soul mate to realise their potential, or maybe they have had a hard life and a soul bond is their reward."

If Harry had looked apprehensive prior to Severus' explanation, now he looked terrified. Severus was not sure the children even realised that Hermione had wrapped her arms around Harry, or that Harry was leaning into her calming and comforting embrace.

"Harry," Severus said gently. "You've already had a hard life, and you've also already made your mark on the world by destroying Voldemort, which you were prophesied to do. The prophecy, however, ends with the defeat of Voldemort, so I doubt Fate requires any more from you. Anything else you do now will be a bonus. Besides," Severus joked, "who's to say that it's not Hermione with the special destiny? With her intelligence and warm heart, I'm sure she'll achieve great things."

Seeing Harry relax and gave a faint grin, Severus added one more point. "Harry, all that I ask of you, all that I will _ever_ ask of you, is that you try your hardest to be the best person you can be. That doesn't mean you have to try and achieve an impossible standard, just work hard, be considerate of others and be happy."

Harry let out a relieved sigh. That seemed achievable. He was glad that his dad did not think that he had to be the instrument of Fate forever. He was finding it hard enough simply to learn to behave and react like a boy instead of a house elf. Harry did not think he could cope with anything more than that at this time.

Harry turned to the petite girl sitting next to him. Gazing into her deep brown eyes, Harry felt a weight lift off him. Although he was unsure of many things, especially with regard to human interaction, one thing of which he was absolutely certain was that he needed Hermione Granger in his life. She was what kept him from becoming too overwhelmed. She spread happiness throughout him. Harry did not know if this was love, _'But I have plenty of time to find out,'_ he thought.

"Hermione, would you give me your home address, please?" Severus turned his attention to the bushy-haired little girl.

Hermione looked puzzled. "Why, sir?" she asked politely.

"Hermione, to all intents and purposes, you're now my daughter-in-law. I'd like to go and meet your parents, and explain matters to them properly. I wouldn't want them to become upset with you if they somehow learned about this through other means."

Unspoken was the implication that the Potters or their satellites might try to cause problems for Harry by hurting Hermione through her parents. The young witch, however, was quite intelligent enough to work out what Severus had left unsaid. Hermione's eyes widened in alarm. While her parents were generally supportive of her being a witch, they were not entirely comfortable with this whole new world, and she dreaded to think what their reaction would be if someone with a grudge against Harry were to tell her parents their version of events.

"I'll be back in a moment," Hermione murmured to Harry, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek; Severus grinned to himself at the sight. Clambering off the bed, the petite witch sat down at the desk and scribbled on a piece of parchment. Drying it with her blotting paper, Hermione handed it over to Severus.

"This is my home address, my parents' work address and the telephone numbers. When do you think you'll be going to see them, Professor?"

Looking at his watch, Severus saw that it was not yet eight o'clock in the evening. "I intend to go and visit them now," he replied. "Hermione, Ditsy should have brought some more of your things for you from the dorm. You may wish to keep a set of pyjamas and a change of clothes here in future. If you need anything while I'm gone, just call for Ditsy. I don't know how long I'll be, so don't stay up late waiting for me."

"It'll be fine, Hermione," Severus reassured his twelve year old daughter-in-law, when he saw her chewing her lip in worry. "Trust me."

"I do, sir. Professor? Are you calling me Hermione…" Hermione blushed and stumbled over the words "…because I'm your daughter-in-law now?"

"Outside these rooms, I shall have to continue calling you Miss Granger," he warned, "but you're family now, Hermione. When we're in private here in my quarters, you may call me Severus."

The girl beamed with pleasure as she sat down again next to Harry and clutched his hand. Severus smiled at the heart-warming sight of the children gazing deeply into each other's eyes as he left the room. _'I don't think they even noticed me leave,'_ he chuckled.

By the time Severus returned, Harry had fallen asleep again but Hermione was still awake, anxiously awaiting the professor's return. She padded out of Harry's bedroom as soon as she heard the main door of Severus' chambers open.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

Severus smiled and his daughter-in-law relaxed. "It was not without its fraught moments, but it went well. Don't worry, Hermione. Your parents love you and always will. Here," he added, handing her a letter.

"Thank you, Severus," said Hermione, gratefully taking the envelope and ripping it open. Thankfully, the letter was nothing but loving and supportive. _'Professor Snape's… Severus' explanation of the soul bond must have been much better than Professor McGonagall's explanation of my being a witch,'_ she decided, and resolved to find some way to thank her father-in-law.

Life continued but the furore did not die down immediately. The Potters tried to regain custody of Harry, even going so far as to take their case to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, reporting Severus as having kidnapped their son.

"Oh, the son that you refused to acknowledge until you learned he was the Boy-Who-Lived? The son who you pretended didn't exist? The son who you treated like a house elf? The son who you disowned? That son?" asked the Head of the Department, Amelia Bones, witheringly before throwing them out.

In high dudgeon, James then decided to present his case before the Wizengamot, only to be completely humiliated when the two battle-axes, Augusta Longbottom and Griselda Marchbanks, took it upon themselves to explain to him just how magic worked and that Harry's disownment and subsequent adoption could not be reversed.

"I would have thought you would have learned this growing up but I never was very impressed with your ability to learn," sniffed Madam Marchbanks who, as Head of the Board of Examiners for OWL and NEWT exams had not been impressed when testing James Potter, who was far too arrogant to take instruction.

The Daily Prophet continued excoriating the Potters and they lost their place in society. James barely retained his job as an Auror, and that only because the department was under-staffed, but he and Sirius were both assigned to minor cases only, much to their disgust. When the two men tried to complain, they were informed in no uncertain terms that they were welcome to leave if they were not happy. James and Sirius were still annoyed, but took heed of the warning and reduced their complaints to grumbling between themselves.

Much to James and Lily's humiliation, an Auror who dealt exclusively with child abuse was appointed to watch over them, to ensure they treated Evan well now that it was known he was not in fact the Boy-Who-Lived. Indeed, Evan soon learned that his parents were only really interested in the Boy-Who-Lived and since this was no longer him, he did his best to stay out their way. He kept his head down at school, hoping to avoid trouble and attention. Typically, Minerva McGonagall abdicated responsibility for Evan, taking her usual path of ignoring the students of whom she disapproved or disliked.

Remus Lupin, an old school friend of James, had moved to the United States many years previously since he had better prospects there, but returned to Britain a year or so after the Boy-Who-Lived debacle when Voldemort finally died once and for all. It was he who eventually took Evan in hand and began to teach the boy the values and standards of behaviour that his parents should have taught him, and James and Lily were perfectly happy to abdicate the responsibility for their son, who they now regarded as an embarrassment, to Remus and Sirius. Remus had given Sirius a much-needed kick in the rear upon his return—far more successfully than his effort to remonstrate with James and Lily—and Sirius, who genuinely cared for his godson, put aside his own woes to act with Remus in Evan's best interests. Evan did not follow his father and godfather into the Auror Office, but instead chose to become a curse breaker for Gringotts, as this would give him the opportunity to escape Britain, and thereafter spent much of his time overseas. Evan eventually married a witch who he met when he was stationed at Gringotts Brazil, and happily settled down to life in that country.

Harry and Hermione grew up happy and content. They were encouraged and supported in every way by Severus and Hermione's parents, who very quickly came to love their son-in-law. Harry refused point-blank to talk to anyone other than Hermione or Severus about his childhood or about being the Boy-Who-Lived and eventually people stopped asking him. Even Rita Skeeter, the poisonous reporter for the Daily Prophet treated him with sympathy, finding the Potters much more worthwhile targets to sink her talons into.

Hermione and Harry married the summer after finishing school. Hermione undertook a dual Mastery in Arithmancy and Potions, apprenticing both to the Hogwarts Arithmancy Professor, Septima Vector, and to her father-in-law, who by this time was the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore had been ousted long ago and Minerva McGonagall was passed over as Headmistress due to her affiliation with the Potters. Professors Flitwick and Sprout, the other two Heads of House, were not deemed suitable Headmaster material by the Board of Governors.

Upon completion of her Mastery, Hermione took over the position of Potions Professor, much to Severus' relief, as had been forced to keep teaching on top of all his Headmaster duties due to the dearth of suitable candidates. Fortunately, he had been able to pass off his Head of House duties to his fellow Slytherin, Septima Vector, upon his appointment as Headmaster. Hermione and Severus managed to find time for research, especially during the holidays, and made some remarkable breathroughs, including a cure for lycanthropy.

By dint of much effort, Harry managed to distance himself from the Boy-Who-Lived ethos. In their third year, when students added elective subjects to their timetables, the Care of Magical Creatures Professor had retired and Dumbledore appointed in his place the Hogwarts groundskeeper, a man who loved magical animals, but who had no formal education in the subject and did not truly understand them. Hagrid was a half giant and therefore invulnerable to most of the dangerous creatures he found so fascinating. Unfortunately, the students, being fully human, were not so indestructible, but Hagrid was oblivious to this fact, and this proved to be the final nail in Dumbledore's coffin. After a number of incidents where students were badly injured, Dumbledore was sacked, Hagrid was demoted back to groundskeeper, and a new professor was appointed in Harry and Hermione's fourth year.

As a result of spending so many years confined to the Potter's house, Harry now loved spending time outdoors working in the fresh air, and he had a strong sympathy for and affinity with magical creatures, which undoubtedly emanated in part from his early upbringing and partly because of his discovery that he had the ability to speak with more animals than just snakes. Harry apprenticed with Professor Grubbly-Plank and upon completion of his Mastery, his Mistress, who did not enjoy teaching despite being a very good teacher, gratefully resigned in favour of her former apprentice. Harry began to bring about change through education, teaching the students to respect other beings, human or otherwise. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures often called upon Harry's expertise, and he made good use of the opportunity to make his views known in that department. Over time, Harry was able to obtain fairer treatment for magical creatures and an alleviation of the restrictions placed upon them.

Harry and Hermione became two of Hogwarts' most beloved teachers. Even their children did not object to being taught by their own parents. Phoebe came along only eleven months after her twin brothers, Theodore and Nathaniel, and so with three children under the age of one, Hermione insisted on a break before adding to the family, thus Phoebe was already five years old when Tobi was born. Severus Tobias Snape adored all his grandchildren but the granddaughter who was his namesake was the apple of his eye. The Snape children were all raised in a warm and loving atmosphere, and were taught to work hard and be considerate of others; they were all popular, well liked and respected students.

Severus regretted Poppy Pomfrey's departure when she decided to retire, as she had been the only senior member of staff apart from himself who truly cared about the students' well-being. However, Slytherin that he was, he put her departure to good use, persuading Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout that it was time they took life more easily and reduced their duties. He was happy to have them stay on as teachers, as they were all excellent at that part of their jobs, but was glad when they agreed to stand down as Heads of House, which were quite arduous positions as it meant being on call at all times. Severus gladly replaced his three colleagues as Heads of House with younger members of staff who were more dynamic and proactive in their dealings with their houses.

Poppy insisted on selecting her replacement herself, and the Matron she appointed was warm, caring, a superb Mediwitch and not easily intimidated by anyone, least of all Severus Snape in a strop. Severus was alternately intrigued, challenged, infuriated and fascinated by the new Mediwitch and Harry and Hermione looked on with glee as the dour man fell deeply and inexorably in love. Sophie Snape was a Ravenclaw six years younger than Severus and a perfect match for her husband, who joyfully settled into a blissfully happy life with his new wife and his family all around him.

And they all lived happily ever after.

.o.O.o.

¹ The canon wandlore primarily comes from harrypotter dot wikia dot com / wiki / Wand_wood and harrypotter dot wikia dot com / wiki / Wand_core and _Pottermore_. The information about the Kitsune, which I've applied to the wand core, comes from en dot wikipedia dot org / wiki / Kitsune. I wanted to emphasise how different this Harry is from canon Harry, hence the difference in the wand.

² Quoted/paraphrased from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ by JK Rowling, Chapter 7

³ _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ by JK Rowling, Chapter 17


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